Last week I wrote about a study that showed long-time survivors of vaginal and cervical cancers experienced sexual problems, including lack of desire, painful intercourse, and inability to have an orgasm. I'm thrilled to report there are some folks in the field who care about this issue and want to help.
In a study published this month in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, researchers developed and tested a brief (3 session) intervention to treat female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD) in women with gynecologic cancer. FSAD is characterized by the inability to maintain arousal and vaginal lubrication during sex. The one-hour sessions included educational information, cognitive and behavioral therapy, and mindfulness training in three main areas: (1) sexual arousal, (2) orgasm, sexual desire, and sexual distress, and (3) quality of life, depression, and relationship satisfaction.
The brief intervention indeed helped. The women experienced improved sexual response, including genital arousal (yes, they actually checked this with a probe, some erotica, and a locked door - see the article if you're interested in more details), orgasm, and satisfaction with sex. Additionally, the women had less depression, and greater overall quality of life.
The downside of this study is that it was small - only 22 women participated - so they need to repeat the study with larger and more diverse groups of women to ensure this positive effect was not just the result of giving the program to a group of highly motivated women. Meantime, I'm just happy that someone is taking the time, energy and effort to develop such an intervention. They've been taking care of men's sexual health after cancer for a good decade now - it's about time we catch up.
In a study published this month in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, researchers developed and tested a brief (3 session) intervention to treat female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD) in women with gynecologic cancer. FSAD is characterized by the inability to maintain arousal and vaginal lubrication during sex. The one-hour sessions included educational information, cognitive and behavioral therapy, and mindfulness training in three main areas: (1) sexual arousal, (2) orgasm, sexual desire, and sexual distress, and (3) quality of life, depression, and relationship satisfaction.
The brief intervention indeed helped. The women experienced improved sexual response, including genital arousal (yes, they actually checked this with a probe, some erotica, and a locked door - see the article if you're interested in more details), orgasm, and satisfaction with sex. Additionally, the women had less depression, and greater overall quality of life.
The downside of this study is that it was small - only 22 women participated - so they need to repeat the study with larger and more diverse groups of women to ensure this positive effect was not just the result of giving the program to a group of highly motivated women. Meantime, I'm just happy that someone is taking the time, energy and effort to develop such an intervention. They've been taking care of men's sexual health after cancer for a good decade now - it's about time we catch up.
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